THE SWIFT—THE HUMMING BIRD. 289

known a whole village in New England in terror and amaze-
ment at hearing one of them singing its strange song on
the edge of aswamp. The superstitious part of the inhabitants
considered it a prediction of some evil that was to befall a
widow of the parish; but there was a diversity of opinion as
to who the hapless Chuck-will’s-widow might be.”

The The Swift, so called from the remarkable speed

Swift. of his flight, is also known as “Jack screamer”
from the shrillness of his voice. He winters in Africa and
arrives in England about May, remaining until about the
middle of August. He builds his nest under the eaves of
houses and frequents steeples and other lofty edifices,
forming his nest of grasses and feathers. The esculent swift,
so called from the fact that its nests are edible, builds at
the sides of almost inaccessible cliffs, a habit which renders
the collection of these singular dainties very dangerous. The
nests are formed of mucilaginous sea-weeds and have the
appearance of isinglass. They are considered great delicacies
in China, where they are found. They abound in Java. The
swifts resemble the swallows in several particulars and have
often been classed with them, there are, however, important
differences which separate them.
TheHumming ‘There are hundreds of kinds of Humming Birds,

Bird. nearly all of them natives of America, where
they frequent the gardens, and sip the honey from the
honeysuckle and other plants, like the hive and humble bee.
The humming bird is several times larger than the latter, but flies
so swiftly as almost to elude the sight. Its wings, when it is
balancing over the flower, produce a humming sound, from which
it takes its name. It is the smallest of the feathered race, and
is one of the most beautiful in the elegance of its form, and
the glossy ‘brilliancy of its delicate plumage. Small as it is,
however, it is exceedingly courageous, and has violent passions.
The length of this bird is three inches; it lives partly on
honey obtained from flowers, but devours also great quan-

19